does Collinsworthless still do that "i'm not so sure" doubletalk? i don't think i hear it as much as i used to. "i'm not so sure that he didn't not get his feet in, "i;m not so sure that that wasn't the wrong call" etc. god he used to annoy the fark out of me with that. but i'm not so sure.

I do not envy any of these guys their jobs. At all. That said, Simms is...yeah, a bit dim; Aikman is WRONG (read in Dana Carvey "McLaughlin Group" voice); and Collinsworth is more loaded than I am come kickoff time. Which is generally pretty freaking loaded.

Still, though, like I said, I don't honestly think I'd fare much better. I'm not paid to, but still, I'd guess it's harder than it seems.

ten foiled hats:I do not envy any of these guys their jobs. At all. That said, Simms is...yeah, a bit dim; Aikman is WRONG (read in Dana Carvey "McLaughlin Group" voice); and Collinsworth is more loaded than I am come kickoff time. Which is generally pretty freaking loaded.

Still, though, like I said, I don't honestly think I'd fare much better. I'm not paid to, but still, I'd guess it's harder than it seems.

Give 99.99% of people who think "I could do that" a mic and a tape recorder and have them call the game. The results would be painful to listen to.

ChrisDe:It appears that Sports Illustrated and I have very different opinions about NFL broadcasters.

As do a great, great many people.

10. Nantz/Simms - Nantz is beyond phony, and Simms is about as dumb as Aikman.9. Gumbel/Dierdorff - Dierdorff, for all the grief he got, really wasn't *that* bad when taken in the context of every other major color guy. Interesting to see who gets bumped up to this spot next year.8. Albert/Johnston - I'm not a fan of ANY Albert, and this team gets a penalty for the stupidity that is Goose.7. Shoepisser/Capt. Concussion - Nuff ced.6. Harlan/Wilcotts - Not flashy, but not bad.5. Nessler/Maycock - Not particularly impressed by them. But I don't hear them enough (see any rant I've ever given about TNF) and so I'm not as biased as I feel I could be against them.4. Tirico/Gruden - THAT GUY sucks. THAT GUY makes me go to bed early on Mondays. He makes me miss Theissman and Jaws. And that should make him feel bad.3. Burkhardt/Lynch - I'm okay with them.2. Eagle/Fouts - Seriously? You let anything with Fouts inovolved near #2?? Grade A Douche he is.1. Michaels/Collinsworth - If only for the comedic factor of figuring out how drunk Collinsworth is at the time. Otherwise, yes.

As for the rest, as I usually never get lower than #3 team due to being in Patriots and Giants territories for national broadcasts, I can't tell you too much. I think Mac/Task aren't that bad from what I remember, and I might be tempted to even go in for Stockton/Barber, as I don't think I've ever heard Barber yet and really like Stockton.

To me the biggest problem with announcers is no 3-man crew. Two people just get stuck on a conversation. Frank Giffords didn't say much, but he could redirect a conversation during a dull game or add a different bit of history. I like how Siragusa is on the field, but always part of the broadcast.

THREE AND TWO, BOTTOM OF THE TWELFTH, GAME 7, ALL TIED UP, HERE'S THE PITCH, BAM, THAT'S GOT A CHANCE, OVER THE WALL AND THE YANKEES ARE YOUR CHAMPIONS STAY TUNED FOR FAMILY GUY EXCEPT ONT THE WEST COAST AND DON'T MISS THE NEW SEASON OF AMERICAN IDOL GOODNIGHT AMERICA

Yep. That's Gus. My all time favorite call he ever did was when the Jags beat the Texans on a hail mary. Grover Quinn jumped up and batted the ball down right into the arms of Mike Thomas. I'm surprised that Florida didn't become an island after that Gusgasm

I might be the only person on the internets that enjoys Gruden & Tirico -- and the paragraph in the article nails why I like them. Tirico is a little boring, but he's got a good knack for play-by-play. And Gruden's commentary is infectious, or infectious -- depending on your interpretation of the word :D

oryx : The only thing to do with a Joe Buck broadcast is to turn off the sound!

Amen to that. Although Fox sports persists in cutting away from the action multiple times in the games to show pictures of him and Aikman, so one cannot escape him entirely. While people claim that it's the monotone and lack of enthusiasm that annoys them, that's only half the story on this supercilious little prick. The guy not only makes the most inane comments all though out the broadcast, he draws Aikman into them, so instead of listening to comments on the game we are listening to some trivial horsesh*t that the old shoepisser brought up. I listened to Aikman when Buck called the baseball world series, and he was good. It's Buck that's bringing down the level of the broadcast to the point where the sound has to be turned off.

This is the second Superbowl where we watched it with the sound off, turning the sound on during the commercials.Fox Sports is a national disgrace for forcing this smarmy sh*thead on America. There was a Fark thread on Buck the morning of the Superbowl which hinted that he might have been assaulted by people who hate him; I was keenly disappointed to find out it was just a joke.

/Isn't Chris Burke the mentally challenged actor? When did he start writing for SI?// It figures the old shoepisser would be a big hit with the mongoloids.

I would put Brian Billick right near the top. Very, very smart football mind, and he doesn't dumb it down for the broadcast audience. I want to get some extra insight and knowledge of the game, not just have the announcers tell me what I can see with my own eyes.

does Collinsworthless still do that "i'm not so sure" doubletalk? i don't think i hear it as much as i used to. "i'm not so sure that he didn't not get his feet in, "i;m not so sure that that wasn't the wrong call" etc. god he used to annoy the fark out of me with that. but i'm not so sure.

Sure, he can hype up even the most basic of plays, but he became extremely grating as a one-note play by play guy.

As for color guys, I've said this before on a similar thread a few months back, but there is nobody better in the NFL.

His uncanny ability to break down plays, and walk the viewer through not just WHAT happened, but HOW that happened is second to none. It's because of him I often spend games watching the line play, and what's going on in the 2nd level more than following the ball.

He's great not only for the well versed viewer, but also for the casual fans. Even my wife (who hates sports), thought one particular play Collinsworth broke down was really well done.

As a Broncos fan this pains me to say but Fouts is great. He reads defenses like the ex-QB he is and explains complex stuff very simply.

Best color commentator I've ever seen is Chris Spielman. I saw him predict a fake field goal while the players were still on the sidelines, based on the fact that the holder was talking a lot to the special teams coach. So awesome.

Saiga410:And that is why I listen to the radio guys. Have TV announcers ever been competent?

That hasn't always been true. Grew up listening to Jack Brickhouse and Irv Kupcinet doing the Bears games on the radio. You had to watch the TV broadcast, because what they were describing, wasn't always what was happening on the field. There was a theory held by some, that they weren't at the game at all, but in Brickhouse's basement, with a pitcher of martinis, watching game on the TV, and making shiat up for 3 hours every Sunday afternoon.

zimbomba63:Saiga410: And that is why I listen to the radio guys. Have TV announcers ever been competent?

That hasn't always been true. Grew up listening to Jack Brickhouse and Irv Kupcinet doing the Bears games on the radio. You had to watch the TV broadcast, because what they were describing, wasn't always what was happening on the field.

This guy was a gem. I feel bad for you if you never heard him call a game.